SEYMOUR 

AND 

UNIVERSAL  TAXATION. 


THE  WORKINGMAN'S  CART  SUBJECT  TO  EQUAL  TAXATION 

WITH  THE  RICH  MAN'S  COACH, 


“WE  DEMAND  FOURTH— EQUAL  TAXATION  OF  EVERY  SPECIES  OP 
PROPERTY  ACCORDING  TO  ITS  REAL  VALUE,  INCLUDING  GOVERN¬ 
MENT  BONDS  AND  OTHER  PUBLIC  SECURITIES.  ” — Democratic  National 
Platform. 

“  I  SEE  THE  REPUBLICANS  ARE  TRYING  TO  DODGE  THE  FINANCIAL 
ISSUES,  AND  TO  SINK  THE  ELECTION  INTO  A  MERE  PERSONAL  CON¬ 
TEST.  OUR  PAPERS  MUST  NOT  ALLOW  THIS.  THEY  MUST  PUSH  THE 
DEBT  AND  TAXATION  UPON  PUBLIC  ATTENTION.” 

HORATIO  SEYMOUR. 

To  Hon.  C.  M.  Inqersoll,  New  Haven,  Conn. 


History  no  where  else  furnishes  so  perfect  an  illustration  of  the  adage 
that  “  whom  the  gods  wish  to  destroy  they  first  make  mad/’  as  in  the  course  of 
the  Democratic  party  during  the  last  eight  years.  But  as  mad  as  they  proved 
themselves  in  rushing  headlong  into  a  wicked  rebellion,  every  subsequent  act 
of  their  life  proves  that  they  are  every  year  becoming  more  insane. 

If  reason  had  not  forever  taken  its  flight  from  the  Democratic  leaders  and 
stark  madness  been  enthroned  in  its  place,  they  would  never  thus  have  pro¬ 
claimed  the  principle  in  their  platform  THAT  THEY  ARE  in  favor  of 
“  EQUAL  TAXATION  ”  of  the  rich  and  poor,  and  that  “  EVERY  SPE¬ 
CIES  OF  PROPERTY"  must.be  taxed,  whether  it  be  the  destitute  widow’s 
solitary  bed  or  the  bond  of  the  Belmont  millionaire ! 

“Every  species  of  property”  embraces  every  conceivable  article 
possessing  any  value,  however  small,  from  a  paper  of  pins  to  a  lordly 
Fifth  Avenue  Palace — from  an  acre  of  swamp  land  to  the  largest 

PLANTATION — FROM  THE  POOREST  NEEDLE-WOMAN’s  SEWING-MACHINE  to  the 

“bloated  bond-holder’s”  coach-and-four.  It  includes  the  absolute  neces- 
8/  ries  of  life  as  well  as  its  most  useless  luxuries. 

The  dress  or  the  cow,  the  pig,  the  chair,  and  the  stove  of  the  woman  who  is 
dependent  upon  her  daily  labor  for  the  support  of  herself  and  children ,  like  the 
bond  of  the  richest  capitalist,  must  be  subject  to  taxation  and  “equal  taxation,” 
according  to  the  Democratic  platform,  if  Seymour  and  Blair  are  elected. 

Every  acre  of  land  belonging  to  the  farmer ,  and  every  bushel  of  wheat  or  corn 
or  potatoes,  every  ton  of  hay,  every  pound  of  butter,  every  do'zen  of  eggs,  every  pound 


2 


of  meat,  every  quart  of  milk ,  every  basket  of  fruit,  and  every  vegetable  of  any  kind 
he  nmy  take  to  market  or  consume  at  home,  the  Democratic  Convention  “  DE¬ 
MANDS”  shall  be  subject  to  “EQUAL  TAXATION”  with  the  rich  man's  bonds 
and  houses  and  lots,  his  horses  and  cattle  and  sheep  and  poultry,  his  plows  and 
harrows  and  rakes,  his  cultivators  and  reaping  machines,  his  hoes  and  shovels,  his 
wagons  and  carts  and  “  sleds,”  and  all  to  be  taxed  “  equal  ”  to  the  stocks  and 
bonds  and  mortgages  of  the  city  banker,  “according  to  their  real  (or  cash ) 
value.” 

There  is  to  be  no  exemption  of  the  “property”  of  the  poorest  widow,  or  of  the 
most  dependent  orphan,  of  the  axe,  or  saw,  or  spade,  or  tools  of  whatever  kind 
of  the  day  labor,  of  the  needle-woman’s  sewing-machine,  the  washer-woman.s 
“smoothing-irons,”  or  even  the  shoes  and  stockings  of  the  children.  And  all  this 
property  shall  not  only  be  taxed,  but  it  shall  be  taxed  “  equal”  to,  or  at  the  same 
rate  as  the  silver  plate,  Wilton  carpets,  and  magnificent  plate  mirrors  and  rosewood 
furniture  of  the  millionaire. 

Not  only  the  long  list  of  ten  thousand  articles  which  a  Republican  Congress 
has  just  exempted  from  all  taxation  will  be  included  in  the  Democratic  catalogue 
of  “every  species  of  property”  which  must  be  subject  to  “ equal  taxation”  but 
twice  ten  thousand  other  articles  must  be  added  to  the  long  list. 

Instead  of  confining  himself  to  the  inquiry,  as  formerly,  how  many  gold  watches 
and  pianos,  and  how  much  silver  ware  a  family  owned,  the  assessor  would,  he.  m 
compelled,  under  a  Democratic  Administration,  to  ascertain  every  article  of  a  Jj 
woman’s  wardrobe,  whether  it  consisted  of  a  single  skirt,  a  Sunday  and  a  work- 
ing  dress,  or  an  indefinite  number  of  dresses,  and  a  long  array  of  shoes  and 
stockings,  gloves,  undergarments,  jewelry,  combs  and  brushes,  &c. 

And  of  manufactured  articles  there  would  be  an  amount  “which  no  man 
could  number.”  Read  the  following,  and  imagine  what  an  endless  variety  of 
articles  might  be  named  under  each  general  term,  such  as  “cloth  and  all  textile 
knitted  and  felted  articles,”  or  under  the  term  of  “cuttlery,”  or  “  chemical  pro¬ 
ductions,”  &c. 

Agricultural  implements.  ‘  * 

Boilers,  water-tanks,  and  sugar-tanks. 

Boots  and  shoes,  including  those  made  of 
India  rubber,  and  shoe  strings. 

Brandy  made  from  grapes. 

Brushes. 

Bullion,  gold,  in  lumps,  ingots,  or  bars. 

Bullion,  silver,  in  lumps,  ingots,  or  bars. 

Candles. 

Carpetings  made  of  wool. 

Carriages. 

Cars,  railroad. 

Chemical  productions,  uncompounded. 

Chocolate  and  cocoa,  prepared,  per  pound. 

Cigars,  cigarettes,  and  cheroots,  of  all  de¬ 
scriptions. 

Clocks,  clock  movements,  and  cases. 

Cloth,  and  all  textile,  knitted,  or  felted 
fabrics  made  of  cotton. 

Cloth,  and  all  textile,  knitted,  or  felted 
fabrics  other  than  those  made  of  flax  or 
jute  exclusively,  and  not  elsewhere  enu¬ 
merated. 

Cloth,  painted,  enameled,  shirred,  tarred, 
varnished,  or  oiled. 

Clothing,  articles  of,  made  from  India  rub¬ 
ber  or  gutta  percha. 


Clothing,  articles  of,  not  of  wool?  made  by 
weaving,  knitting,  or  felting,  or  from  fur 
or  fur  skins. 

Clothing,  articles  of,  made  from  fur,  valued 
at  $20  or  less. 

Coffee,  roasted  or  ground,  and  all  substi¬ 
tutes  therefor. 

Confectionery,  valued  at  20  cents  per  pound 
or  less. 

Confectionery  valued  at  over  20  cents  per 
pound,  and  not  over  40  cents  per  pound. 

Confectionery. 

Copper,  zinc,  brass  tubes,  nails,  and  rivets. 

Cotton. 

Cutlery. 

Diamonds,  emeralds,  precious  stones,  and 
imitations  thereof,  and  all  other  jewelry. 

Fermented  liquors. 

Fire-arms. 

Furniture. 

Gas-fixtures  and  chandeliers. 

Glass,  manufactures. 

Gloves,  mittens,  and  moccasins  made  by 
sewing. 

Gun  cotton. 

Gunpowder,  blasting,  in  kegs  or  casks. 

Gunpowder,  sporting,  in  kegs,  per  pound. 


b 


Gunpowder,  canister,  per  pound. 

Gutta  percha,  manufactures  of. 

Hats,  caps,  bonnets,  and  hoods  of  all  de¬ 
scriptions. 

Hoop  skirts. 

India  rubber,  manufactures  of. 

Iron  castings  not  specially  excepted,  per  ton. 

Iron,  cut  nails,  and  spikes,  not  including 
nails,  tacks,  brads,  or  finishing  nails, 
usually  sold  in  papers. 

Iron  railing,  gates,  fences,  and  statuary. 

Iron,  stoves. 

Iron.tubes,  wrought,  per  ton. 

Iron,  manufactures  of,  not  specially  ex¬ 
empted  and  not  elsewhere  enumerated. 

Lamps,  and  lanterns,  other  than  magnesium 
lamps. 

Lead,  sheet,  lead  pipes,  and  shot. 

Leather,  of  all  descriptions. 

Machinery,  including  shafting  and  gearing, 
and  mechanics’  tools. 

Mouldings  of  wood. 

Monuments  of  stone. 

Oil  produced  from  petroleum. 

Oils,  essential,  of  all  descriptions. 

Paper. 

Paper  collars,  and  all  articles  of  dress  made 
of  paper. 

Photographs,  or  other  pictures  taken  by  the 
action  of  light. 

Piano-fortes,  and  other  musical  instruments. 
Pins. 

Plated  and  britania  ware. 

Republican  P1j 


Saddlery,  harness,  trunks,  and  valise*/ 

Safes  fire  or  burglar  proof. 

Scales. 

Screws,  commonly  called  wood-screws. 

Sewing  machines. 

Silk,  manufactures  of. 

Silverware. 

Soap,  common  brown,  in  bars,  salt-water 
soap,  cocoanut  oil. 

Soap  perfumed. 

Spices,  ground,  dry  mustard,  and  all  substi¬ 
tutes  therefor. 

Steam,  locomotive,  and  marine  engines. 

Thread. 

Tinware. 

Tobacco,  chewing. 

Tobacco,  smoking,  sweetened,  stemmed,  or 
butted. 

Tobacco,  smoking,  not  sweetened,  stemmed, 
or  butted,  including  that  made  of  stems, 
or  in  part  of  stems. 

Tobacco,  twisted  by  hand,  and  not  pressed, 
sweetened,  or  otherwise  prepared,  and 
fine-cut  shorts. 

Turpentine,  spirits  of. 

Watches  and  watch  chains. 

Wine. 

Woolen  cloth,  and  all  fabrics  or  articles  made 
of  wool. 

Manufactured  articles  which  are  increased 
in  value  by  being  polished. 

Manufactures  not  elsewhere  enumerated  nor 
specially  taxed. 

n  of  Taxation. 


Tlie  tax  on  every  one  of  these  articles,  which  would  amount  to  nine  thousand 
at  least,  was  removed  by  the  last  Congress,  and  instead  of  taxing  one  thousand 
articles,  as  last  year,  the  list  is ,  reduced  to  barely  four  manufactured 
articles,  viz. SPIRITS,  TOBACCO,  FERMENTED  LIQUORS  and 
GAS,  and  to  only  seven  other  subjects,  viz: — BANKS  and  BANKERS, 
GROSS  RECEIPTS,  (from  stocks,)  SALES,  other  SPECIFIC  TAXES,  IN¬ 
COMES,  LEGACIES,  SUCCESSION  and  PASSPORTS. 

If  any  one  can  imagine  or  compute  how  many  articles  there  are  in  the  United 
States  which  may  be  denominated  “property”  and  subject  to  “  equal  taxation” 
under  the  provisions  of  the  Democratic  platform  we  have  quoted,  he  will  be 
able  to  anticipate  'some  of  the  beauties  of  that  universal  system  of  taxation  Sey¬ 
mour  is  pledged  to  introduce. 

The  value  of  the  taxable  property  of  every  kind  in  the  United  States  in  1870 
will  not  fall  short  of  $35,000,000,000.  Of  this  sum  three-eighths, *or  $13,000,000,- 
000,  are  invested  in  farm  lands,  and  $3,000,000,000  in  live  stock,  farm  improve¬ 
ments,  machinery  and  implements. 

The  national  bonds  amount  to  about  $2,100,000,000. 

Neither  the  lands,  live  stock,  machinery  nor  implements  of  the  farmers,  nor 
the  bonds  are  taxed  by  the  United  States. 

Democratic  Plan  of  Taxation. 

The  Democratic  party  propose,  in  order  to  equalize  taxation,  TO  COLLECT 
AN  EQUAL  TAX  FOR  EVERY  SPECIES  OF  PROPERTY,  INCLUD- 


i 


4 


1NG  GOVERNMENT  BONDS  ACCORDING  TO  VALUE.  The  annual 
wants  ot  the  United  States  for  revenue,  including  interest  and  pensions,  will  be 
•$  00,000,000,  or  one  per  cent,  upon  all  the  taxable  property  in  the  United  States. 

■  be  practical  operation  of  the  Democratic  system  of  taxation  will  be  that  the 
Government  bonds  will  yield  annually  a  tax  of  $21,000,000,  AND  THAT 
THE  FARM  LANDS,  FENCES,  HORSES,  HOGS,  SHEEP,  CHICK¬ 
ENS,  COWS,  WAGONS,  MACHINERY,  AND  IMPLEMENTS  OF  TIIE 
FARMERS  WILL  YIELD  $160,000,000  ANNUALLY.  THAT  IS  THE 
PLAN  OF  EQUAL  TAXATION  PROPOSED  BY  THE  DEMOCRATIC 
PLATFORM.  In  order  to  reach  the  $2,100,000,000  of  bonds  with  a  tax,  in 
defiance  of  the  contract,  THE  DEMOCRATIC  PARTY  PROPOSE  TO 
PUT  A  TAX  OF  $160,000,000  ON  TPIE  FARMERS. 

Under  this  Democratic  rule  of  taxation,  the  farmers  and  planters  will  pay  a 
direct  tax  EQUAL  TO  THREE-FIFTHS  OF  THE  WHOLE  AMOUNT 
REQUIRED  FOR  THE  SUPPORT  OF  TPIE  NATIONAL  GOVERN¬ 


MENT,  whereas  they  now  pay,  under  the  REPUBLICAN  RULE,  NO 
DIRECT  TAX  AVHATEVER.  TPIE  PROPERTY  OF  FARMERS 
PLANTERS  AND  MECHANICS  IS  NOW  EXEMPT  FROM  FEDERAL 
TAXATION,  AND  WILL  REMAIN  EXEMPT  IF  GRANT  AND  COL¬ 
FAX  SHALL  BE  ELECTED  ;  BUT  IF  SEYMOUR  AND  BLAIR  ARE 
ELECTED,  ALL  TPIEIR  PROPERTY,  WHETHER  MUCH  OR  LIT¬ 
TLE,  OF  EVERY  DESCRIPTION,  WILL  BE  HEAVILY  TAXED 
FOR  TPIE  DEMOCRATIC  PARTY  IS  SOLEMNLY  PLEDGED  TO 
DO  IT.  LET  NO  MAN  BE  TAKEN  UNAWARES,  OR  AFTER  THE 
ELECTION,  WHEN  IT  IS  TOO  LATE  TO  REMEDY  THE  EVIL,  say 
that  he  did  not  understand  the  scope  and  purpose  of  the  Democratic  scheme  of 
“equal  taxation  of  every  species  of  property,  according  to  its  real  value.” 


Conclusion. 


The  sum  of  the  whole  matter  -is  that  the  Democratic  party  “  DEMAND” 
that  the  POOR  MAN’S  COTTAGE  shall  be  subject  to  “  EQUAL  TAXA¬ 
TION”  with  the  RICH  MAN’S  MANSION. 

That  the  WASHER-WOMAN’S  IMPLEMENTS  OF  LABOR  shall  pay 
“  EQUAL  TAX,”  with  the  RICH  MAN’S  GOLD  WATCH,  SILVER 
PLATE,  SEVRES  WARE,  and  “inlaid”  furniture. 

That  the  POOR  MAN’S  SOLITARY  COW  shall  be  “TAXED  EQUAL” 
to  the  RICH  MAN’S  BLOODED  HORSES. 


That  the  poor  man’s  $50  dollar  bond,  BOUGHT  ON  THE  PLEDGED 
FAITH  OF  THE  NATION  THAT  IT  SHOULD  NOT  BE  TAXED, 
SHALL  BE  TAXED  EQUAL  TO  THE  RICH  MAN’S  BANK  and 
RAILROAD  STOCKS. 


That  the  POOR  needle-woman’s  sewing-machine  or  wicker  BABY  CART, 
shall  be  “TAXED  EQUAL”  to  the  ELEGANT  LADY’S  $1,500  or  $2,500 
PIANO. 

That  the  POOR  WOMAN’S  RAG-CARPET,  made  at  night  after  a  day3 
washing,  SHALL  BE  TAXED  EQUAL  to  the  elegant  lady’s  luxurious  im¬ 
ported  tapestry  or  Wilton. 

This  is  modern  Democracy,  this  is  SEYWIOUR  AND  BAIR  AND  REBEL 
DEMOCRACY,  and  this  is  the  Democracy  of  the  party  who  claim  to  be  THE 
EXCLUSIVE  CHAMPIONS  OF  THE  PEOPLE’S  RIGHTS,  AND  THE 
SOLE  DEFENDERS  OF  THE  POOR  AND  THE  WEAK  AND  THE 
OPPRESSED ! 


PRINTED  AT  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  GREAT  REPUBLIC,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


